Washing machine



July 7, 1942. G, H. AMONSEN WASHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1940 S SheetS-Sheet 1 F1 :1. I (j 6 'Fi q f Inventor;

G: H. monsen.

July 7, 1942. G. H. AMONSEN 2,289,162

WASHING MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 2 VAN . mons'zn.

torney,

July 7, 1942. I e. H, AMONSEN WASHING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec.

Al I b.

IrLVen N:

n e s n bracket on the inner side of the front wall oi the it being understood that changes in the precise side of the washing machine, one of the legs Patentedv July 7,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE The invention relates to washing machines of the rotatable drum type, and has for its object to provide a device of this kind wherein the drum is provided with a shaft extending through an enlarged aperture in the rear end of the casing is and through a packing member and is supported in a rockable bearing so the axis of the drum may move in a vertical plane; Also to provide the drum with a flanged opening opposite "the shaft and extending through an opening in the'opposite side of the casing and rotatably mounted and supported on rollers beneath the flange and carried by a vertically adjustable bracket. 7

' A further object is to mount the adjustable casing and to provide an adjusting means cooperating with the bracket for forcing the same upwardly -to an adjusted position and means for positively holding the bracketin adjusted position. 1

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter. set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed,

embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the washing machine.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on lineI-i of Figure i. Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the drum vanes.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 6.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-4 of Figure 6. t I

Figure 6 is a side view of the machine showing the drum and casing in section.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view through one of the legs and its connection, showing the leg extended.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the lower front being shown in section.

The present invention is an improvement on my washing machine Patent No. 2,177,631.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral! designates a cylindrical casing having a rear wall 2 and a front wall 3. These walls are held in place in the annular channel i by means of straps 5, which extend over the upper side of the casing I, and have their ends connected at 55 6 to the upwardly extending arms 1 of the base supports 8, and on a flange 9 on which the body I is held. The base supports are provided with downwardly extending portions I0, to which are integrally connected loosely, at- II the folding legs l2, shown in folded position in Figure '6.

When the legs are extended they are hingedly moved to the positions shown in Figures '7 and 8 and held rigidly in extended position by means of bolts l3 which extend through the leg ex-- tensions l4 and are then secured in extended position by the bolts l3 which extend through the portions Hi. It will be seen the washing machine may be adjusted close to the floor or raised, and by hinging the legs less space will be required in shipping and storage.

Disposed within the casing I in spaced relation thereto is a drum [5, adapted to be intermittently driven'in opposite directions for an 7 agitating operation when clothing is placed within the drum. The drum I5 comprises spaced walls 16 and a circumferential perforated wall H, and disposed within the drum are spaced tubular blades 18 held in place by means of extensions l9 and transverse bolts 20 extending through longitudinally extending slots 2| in the blades, therefore it will be seenthe blades will be positively held in-positionand the drum assembled as the bolts 20 also extend through radial arms-22 carried by the walls I 6 of the drum. The arms 22 carried by the rear plate It merge into a hub 23 to which is keyed at 24 the drive shaft 25, which drives the drum. Drive shaft 25' extends through. an enlarged opening 26 in the rear casing wall 2 and is rotatably mounted in a rock bearing 21, which is rockably mounted on pintles 28, clearly shown in Figures 6 and 1. It will be noted that the shaft25, along with vthe drum, has freedom of movement in a vertical longitudinal plane, the purpose of which will presently appear. The front wall 16 of the drum is provided with a flange 29 which extends through an opening 30 in the front wall 3 of the casing, and this opening is provided with a hinged closure 3| having a transparent dished portion 32 so access may be had to the drum for placing clothing in the drum or removing clothing therefrom, and at the same time the washing operation can be observed as desired. The closure 3| is provided with a gasket 33 for preventing water from 'being splashed from within the casing I.

The front end of the drum I5 is supported on its lower side by spaced rollers 34 carried by a vertically adjustable bracket 35. The bracket is adjustable on bolts 36 which extend through elongated apertures 31 in the bracket and carried by the front wall of the casing so they can be manipulated from the outside of the casing. The lower end of the bracket 8 is provided with an inwardly extending member 38 through'which adjusting bolts 39 are threaded. The adjusting bolts 39 extend upwardly through the stationary casing l and into engagement with the bottom of the adjustable bracket 35. Therefore, it will be seen that the supporting rollers 34 may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly for supporting the forward end of the drum and the rock bearing 21, incident to its rockable movement in a vertical longitudinal plane, will adjust itself so that the drive shaft 25 will not bind in the bearing.

Extending upwardly from one of the base supports 8 is a bearing support bracket 21*- which in turn carries arms 40 of a motor supporting frame 4|, and on which is supported a motor 42 having a drive pulley 43. The drive pulley 43 drives a belt shifting mechanism 44 through the belt 45 and pulley 46. The belt shifting mechanism is of the type shown in my prior patent and rotates a wrist pin 41 in a cam plate 48 for reciprocating a belt shifter rod 49 having a bifurcated member 50 for oscillating a pivoted belt shifting arm which terminates in a belt fork 52 in which fork the upper flight of the belt 53 travels. The belt 53 is shown in Figure 1 on the intermediate idle Pulley 54 and is shifted to reversing pulleys 55 intermittently for operating the reversing gear 56 of the type shown in my prior patent for rotating the drum intermittently in opposite directions, during a washing operation. The reversing mechanism 55 drives a shaft 51 and different size drive pulleys 58 according to the position of the slidable clutch element 59 which is splined on the shaft 51. It will be noted that these pulleys are of different size, consequently when either one is driven a different speed of rotation is imparted to the drum through the belt 65 and pulleys 51 carried by the driven shaft 25.

From the above it will be seen that a washing machine is provided of the rotary type which is simple in construction, the parts reduced to a minimum, and one cheaply manufactured and sold.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A washing machine comprising a casing, a drum rotatably mounted in said casing, means for rotating said drum successively in opposite directions, said drum having a horizontal axis, a drive shaft carried by said drum axially thereof at one end, a hinged bearing for said drive shaft, means for rotating said drive shaft, a

flanged opening carried by the other end of the shaft.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 including a closure for the casing opening through which the drum flange extends.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the adjustable bearing for the drum flange comprises a vertically adjustable plate, said adjustable plate being vertically adjustable on the inner side of an end of the casing, bolts extending through said end and plate, spaced rollers carried-by the upper end of said plate and engaging the drum flange below the axis thereof and adjusting bolts extending upwardly through the bottom of the casing in engagement with said plate.

5. A washing machine comprising a casing, a horizontally disposed rotatable drum within the casing, one end of said drum having an annular flange forming an opening to said drum, a vertically adjustable supporting bracket and bearing for said annular flange, a drive shaft carried by said drum and extending through the opposite end of the casing, means for driving said shaft and a vertically rockable bearing in which said shaft is mounted.

GEORGE H. AMONSEN. 

